IN JAPANESE TEA-LANDS 07 



the suitable extent. 1 Ijc8o leaves are then panned 

 over a wood fire in order to prevent further fermenta- 

 tion, and are transferred to the seeond panH near by. 

 The leaves thus panned arc placed upon matting and 

 are rolled, a considerable pressure being a|)plied, thus 

 breaking the fibre and the cell of the tea-leaves. This 

 process causes the leaves to emit pummy and pitchy 

 substances, and when continued for eight to ten minutes, 

 the leaves become rather sticky. These leaves are then 

 place<l in bamboo trays, and the moisture is evaporated 

 by means of mild charcoal Jircs. This completes the 

 local preparation, and the crude tea is packed in tea 

 bags and sent to the Daitotei market. The crude tea 

 thus obtained represents about 24 per cent, in spring 

 and 28 per cent, in summer, making an annual average 

 of 25 per cent, of the weight of green leaves," 



Hundreds of junks are engaged in taking the crude 

 tea to Daitotei, to be rctined. 



" The first process of refining is to separate dust and 

 foreign matters from the leaves by means of baskets, 

 and to sieve the same into several grades. The tea is 

 then placed in bamboo baskets, and girls are put to 

 work to separate bad leaves. Then the leaves are 

 classified into several qualities, and the tea thus sorte<l 

 goes through the process of refining over charcoal fire. 

 This completes the second process, and the tea is 

 packed in chests, each holding 40, 20, or 10 pounds. 



"The VenestA tea chest is sometimes used, but 

 generally these chests are made of pine boards lined 

 with lea lend, and paper pictures of birds, flowers and 

 figures are fixetl on the outside bearing the l)rand of 

 the respective merchant, and for export purposes the 

 chests arc pocked in tea mats and bound with rattan.*' 



